South Korean President Park Geun-Hye met Chinese President Xi Jinping today for summit talks to be dominated by Pyongyang's nuclear programme, seeking to push China to do more to bring its wayward ally North Korea to heel.

Park, who arrived earlier in the day, was welcomed by Xi at Beijing's ornate Great Hall of the People in a colourful ceremony with military honours and a 21-gun salute.

A band played the two countries' national anthems and the leaders later entered the hall for talks.

Park has said that her priority will be to "harden" China-South Korea cooperation on pressing for denuclearisation of the North.